


Like I Know My Own Mind

by Chash



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6253984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chash/pseuds/Chash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>BFF fill for the prompt: Lincoln getting really protective of Clarke because "You are my People."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like I Know My Own Mind

It's not that Lincoln dislikes Bellamy Blake, not really. For one thing, Octavia loves him, and Lincoln loves Octavia, so of course he likes Bellamy. If he hated Bellamy, he'd never really be able to date Octavia. And Bellamy's a good guy for the most part, loyal and smart, dedicated to his sister, if somewhat overprotective.

But he's not the kind of person Lincoln would probably hang out with, if not for Octavia. He's not a bad person, just--in social situations, he tends to go slick and charming in a way that grates on Lincoln. There are people in the world who have one public face and one private one, and he gets it, but it's not how he is.

Still, maybe he shouldn't be surprised that Bellamy apparently likes Clarke; Clarke is the same way in public, even if she's less charming and more detached. Maybe it's something that he recognizes and appreciates in other people.

Not that he notices Bellamy likes Clarke at all. It's Octavia who brings it up, with an amused roll of her eyes. "Bell likes her."

"Who?" he asks.

"Clarke."

" _Clarke_? Are you sure? I saw them arguing. She looked like she might punch him." But, now that he thinks about it, there was amusement in her eyes too. She looked more relaxed than she usually does at these events, fighting with him. More like herself.

"Yeah, that's how Bell is with girls he really likes. He never got past the whole pigtail-pulling stage. And he's, you know--he likes when people argue with him. Plus she's cute. We should make that happen."

And that's the part that makes his brain freeze, because Clarke is _Clarke_. His senior year of college, she was a freshman, and he was her RA. They'd bonded quickly over art, which Clarke wanted to pursue even though her mother thought that it was impractical, and friendship followed naturally after that.

He was there when her mother died in March, only two years after her father had. She was almost nineteen, with plenty of money, but no idea what to do, how to go on with nothing, and he'd been the one who looked after her.

He's only known her for six years; she's not his sister. But she's his people, and he loves her.

And he doesn't really think she should date Bellamy Blake.

"Make it happen?" he asks Octavia, instead of saying that. He's not stupid enough to tell his girlfriend that he doesn't think her brother and favorite person in the world is good enough for his best friend. "Why are _we_ making this happen? Can't they make it happen?"

"Have you met Bell?" 

It's a fair point, and it seems like a safe time to say, "I didn't think he dated."

"He _kind of_ dates. I mean, he's capable of it. He dated this girl Gina a couple years ago, she was cool, but she got a job in Sweden and they weren't serious enough for him to go with her, so, yeah. He's not great at, like, getting into relationships? But he's a pretty decent boyfriend. At least he looked like a decent boyfriend. Gina liked him."

Of course, Gina also fled the country, so Lincoln isn't convinced.

"I'm not much of a matchmaker," is what he actually says. "But if I can help, then let me know."

Octavia kisses him on the cheek. "Will do."

He's hoping it just won't be a thing at all, but when Octavia asks her brother at the end of the night if he had fun, he shrugs and says, "Some blonde tried to kill me," and Octavia says, "Oh, that's Lincoln's best friend," and Bellamy gives him this thoughtful look, so Lincoln knows that, yeah. It's not over.

*

"Sorry you had to spend the whole party arguing with Bellamy."

Clarke doesn't look at him, which is another warning sign, and her voice is deliberately casual when she responds. "Oh, was that his name? We skipped introductions and went straight to screaming at each other. Friend of yours?"

"Octavia's brother."

" _Oh_ ," she says, in a way that makes his heart sink. But then she adds, "That might explain why we got in the fight."

"Really?"

"We started talking about money and parents and it went south fast but--he raised Octavia, right? I remember her saying something about it. So I was kind of arguing with him from the _I have dead parents_ place, but that would have been so different for him." She scrubs her face. "I mean, he assumed I was a spoiled princess with absolutely no understanding of real pain, so it's not like he _wasn't_ an asshole, but--"

"Ah, yes." He flashes her a grin. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't physically fight, given this setup."

And then, even worse, Clarke _smiles_ , soft and easy, the fond kind of smile she gets when she _likes_ someone. "It was close. But once we started just arguing it was kind of fun. He's smart. And you know I love a good opportunity to rant about how fucked society is. By the end we were even mostly on the same side."

"I'm glad you didn't permanently injure my girlfriend's brother."

"Well, if he's your girlfriend's brother, I'll probably see him again," she says, too light. "So I've still got time."

*

Bellamy's the one who comes up with trivia.

"I hear it's a good social thing to do with friends," he tells Octavia. He's on their couch with his feet on the coffee table, and Lincoln is trying very hard not to be distrustful of him. It's just that Clarke has had bad boyfriends and bad girlfriends and perfectly fine boyfriends and girlfriends who weren't right for her, and it's been a while since she wanted to try. And if she wants to try with Bellamy, it's obviously her life and her decision, but he can't help worrying.

"You know when you say shit like that it sounds like you're an anthropologist trying to blend in with an unknown culture, right?" Octavia asks. "Just say you love trivia because it involves showing off arcane knowledge that you're proud to have and getting drunk."

"Also that. But I need a team, so I figured you guys might want to join. And then we'd need a fourth."

It is not subtle, and of course Octavia cranes her head back over the couch to say, "Clarke likes trivia, right? You said you guys used to do it in college."

"She might be willing," he says. "Her schedule is a little weird. Did you have a specific night in mind?"

There's a pause, and when Bellamy says, "I came up with a few possibilities," his voice is a little off. "Wasn't sure when you guys were free either. So let me know availability and I'll see if I can get us a good place."

"How many do you have?"

"I googled it," he says. "Miller has one he goes to, but if that one doesn't work we could probably find another one. It's not like we can go with too few people anyway."

"Probably some of them allow teams of three."

"Yeah, but if you're under the maximum number of people, you're just putting yourself at a disadvantage," says Bellamy, and Octavia gives Lincoln a weird look, so he figures he's not being that smooth about trying to get Clarke out of this.

"Well, I'll ask Clarke if she's interested," he says, and, just so Octavia doesn't get any more suspicious, he texts her immediately.

And, of course, she says, _I like trivia. Tuesdays and Thursdays are best for me but I can be flexible. Just lmk._

"What was the night you wanted for trivia?" Lincoln asks, and within about ten minutes, they have a Thursday night trivia group set up, and Octavia is _thrilled_.

Lincoln's cautiously optimistic; at least he likes trivia.

*

"We didn't actually make it to introductions last time, did we?" Clarke asks Bellamy, by way of greeting.

"Yeah, who needs to exchange personal information when you can just start yelling at each other about social justice?" he says, and she laughs.

"Exactly." Nodding once, like she's making up her mind, she offers her hand, and Bellamy shakes. "I'm Clarke. I'm sorry for assuming--I tend to think people my age all have parents. I'm used to being the only one who doesn't. But I was--actually really lucky. I had about the best-case scenario for being orphaned. I _am_ kind of a rich princess. I was over eighteen and they left me a lot of money."

"Hey, uh, don't worry about it," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was a dick too, there's plenty of blame to go around. I saw how you were dressed and I made some stupid calls." Then he grins. "Uh, I'm Bellamy, but I assume you already heard that."

"I figured it out, yeah. Nice to meet you, Bellamy. Maybe we can go ten minutes without fighting this time."

He snorts. "You really think?"

"No way. But we might as well try to at least get beer before we start."

It's like being in the middle of a storm, watching Bellamy and Clarke together. They get swept up in each other in a way that makes Lincoln jealous, not because he and Octavia aren't like that, not because he has any romantic interest in Clarke himself, but because it feels like he's already losing her. And he's never felt like that before.

So Clarke is going to like Bellamy Blake. This is going to be a _thing_. And he has to admit they're kind of cute. It's not like it isn't _nice_ , seeing Clarke happy and flirty and relaxed, and Bellamy's still charming, but not like Lincoln's used to. He's ducking his head and laughing and seems more like himself than the Bellamy he's used to seeing in private.

Octavia is _thrilled_ , and that helps too. Octavia knows how important Clarke is to Lincoln, and Lincoln knows how important Bellamy is to Octavia. If she had doubts, she wouldn't be supporting this.

And it's fun. He doesn't see Clarke as often as he'd like to these days, and it will be nice, having a weekly time he's sure they'll get to hang out. 

"So, we can do this every week, right?" Octavia asks at the end of the game. They came in second, losing to Bellamy's friend Miller, so they already have rivals and everything.

Lincoln nods. "I could do this every week."

*

Bellamy starts leaking into Clarke's stories. She teaches art and he teaches history, so from what Lincoln can gather, they start off talking about work and pedagogy and their many issues with the American educational system, and that turns into the two of them hanging out more, even aside from Thursdays, even without him and Octavia.

They're not dating; Octavia says they aren't in the vaguely despairing tones she always uses to talk about her brother. 

"He says he's working on it," she tells Lincoln, and that's probably good too. Clarke deserves someone who will put in the effort.

It's just that Lincoln wants to do _something_. He's always found it creepy when men tell other men not to mistreat women they're close too, patriarchal and patronizing, but--he doesn't know if Bellamy realizes the kind of impact this would have on Lincoln. If Bellamy broke Clarke's heart, Lincoln would be stuck in the middle, on Clarke's side while Octavia took Bellamy's. And obviously their relationship isn't about _him_ , but still. It's important to him too.

He's just about made up his mind to talk to _Clarke_ , just to check in, when Bellamy comes to him.

"Your sister isn't here," he tells Bellamy when he finds him at the door instead of the pizza he ordered.

"I know. I wanted to talk to you."

"Is this about my intentions? I thought I'd been clear."

"It's about Clarke," he says, and Lincoln stiffens for just a minute. Bellamy smiles, wry. "Yeah, I thought you might say that."

Lincoln snorts and gestures him in. "I didn't say anything. But I hadn't missed your--interest."

"She's cool," says Bellamy. "I like her a lot. But I get the impression she's kind of--" He huffs. "We've talked about dating a little. I guess it's been a while for her."

"It has."

"It has for me too. Which you probably know, actually." He runs his hand through his hair, and Lincoln realizes he's really _nervous_. More nervous than Lincoln has ever seen him. "Look, I'm not asking permission or anything, but O says you guys are pretty much family, and I figure your girlfriend's brother asking out your sister is kind of awkward, right? I was definitely a dick about my friends checking out O, so--"

"It's fine," Lincoln says, and he means it. "You're right, Clarke's had a hard time. But I think she likes you."

Bellamy's grin is sudden and bright, the kind of delighted expression he usually reserves for Octavia. "Yeah?" Self-consciousness kicks in, and he clears his throat with a gruff cough. "Uh, cool. I was thinking I might see if she wanted to--yeah. You know. O says I'm being really, really obvious."

He has to smile. "Yes, I'd noticed."

"Awesome." His smile is wry. "Look, I'd get if you weren't, uh--I don't try to date most of the time. But that's not because I don't like it, I just--don't meet a lot of people that--"

"You don't have to justify yourself to me," Lincoln says, and finds he means that too. "I didn't justify myself to you when I started dating your sister, and Clarke would be just as mad if she thought you were asking me for my blessing as Octavia would be if she'd thought I asked you."

"Yeah, that's definitely not what I'm asking. I just--I get it."

It's strange to realize that he almost certainly _does_ , that this is something Bellamy's gone through. That Bellamy went through this with _him_. He knows Octavia has had other boyfriends, but she's never been as serious about anyone else as she is about Lincoln. And he's sure that's how it will be for Clarke.

Which means it's a good idea, all by itself. Clarke has good taste. 

"Besides, I figured if I talked to you, you'd tell me if I didn't have a chance," Bellamy asks, grinning, and Lincoln grins back.

"Obviously."

"Cool. So, yeah. I'm definitely going to ask her out."

"Good. I think you should."

*

It's only two days later that Clarke asks Lincoln to come over, and she's freaking out.

"Do you know how long it's been since I went on a real date?" she asks. She's face-down on the couch. "Of course you do. You're really good at remembering this stuff. In a non-creepy way."

"Thanks." He sits down on the arm of the couch and rubs her shoulders. "You don't have anything to be nervous about. He's already nervous. Only one of you needs to be."

She laughs. "Is that how it works? I think we can both be nervous. There's no rule that says we can't."

"You can do whatever you want. But I don't think you need to be nervous. The first thing you did when you met him was get into a horrific argument, so I assume it's all uphill from there. And I thought the two of you were getting along."

"We are, yeah." She rolls over, gives Lincoln a smile. "I just haven't been this excited about a first date in a while. I'm not used to being invested in people before we go out."

He has to laugh. "That's because every time someone asks you out, it's a total surprise to you. I'm amazed you picked up on Bellamy's interest."

"I was hoping really hard."

Lincoln strokes her hair. "That's not a bad thing. It's good, to be excited these things. And--he did come talk to me. Brother to brother."

"Brother to brother, huh? And what did you say to him, brother to brother?"

"I wished him luck."

Her voice is small when she asks, "Did you mean it?"

"Yes, I meant it. I think he'd be good for you."

"Yeah. Me too."

*

The next Thursday, Clarke and Bellamy arrive at trivia together, Clarke tucked into Bellamy's side in a natural, comfortable way, both of them grinning. Lincoln hasn't ever seen Bellamy right after he got laid, but he has seen Clarke, and even if he hadn't, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what they were doing.

"You're late," Octavia says, smug.

Bellamy lets go of Clarke to sling his arm around his sister instead, pressing a wet kiss to her temple. "We're worth the wait," he tells her.

Lincoln falls into step with Clarke, nudges her shoulder. "Not nervous anymore?"

"Terrified. But in the good way." 

"If it ever becomes the bad way, tell me, and he'll live to regret it."

"I can make him regret it all by myself," Clarke says, but she's amused. "And he's your girlfriend's brother."

"You're--Clarke," he says. It's the only word that feels adequate. "He understands. We discussed it."

"Good." She smiles at the Blake siblings, bickering as always. Fondness is all over her face, and Lincoln loves seeing her like that. "I'm not worried."

"No," he agrees. "I'm not worried either."


End file.
